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Crews went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 2-0 win over Atlanta.
Crews launched what proved to be the game-winning homer off Grant Holmes in the top of the fourth inning. While it's amounted to just a .200 average through 21 plate appearances, he's hit safely in four of five games since rejoining the Nationals on Tuesday. The former top prospect will need to do more to matter in most fantasy formats, but he has flashed his power-speed upside with a steal Friday and Saturday's long ball.
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Nationals' Jake Irvin: Headed for MRI
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Irvin (shoulder/lat) will undergo an MRI on Sunday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
Irvin spun five scoreless and hitless innings Saturday, earning the win against Atlanta despite feeling something in the back of his shoulder/lat area during the contest. He tried to throw a warmup pitch prior to the sixth and still felt it, and so the Nationals made the call to remove him from the game. The right-hander will undergo imaging to determine the exact nature and full extent of the issue -- one which Irvin told manager Blake Butera he's dealt with in the past.
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Nationals' Richard Lovelady: Secures fourth save
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Lovelady earned the save in Saturday's 2-0 win over Atlanta, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.
After opening Friday's contest, Lovelady got the call with a two-run lead in the ninth inning Saturday and slammed the door on 11 pitches. Clayton Beeter pitched each of the previous two nights after returning from injury while Gus Varland threw 12 pitches Friday, so Lovelady drew the assignment against two lefties and the switch-hitting Ozzie Albies. The versatile southpaw is now 4-for-4 in save chances with a 2.38 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 21:4 K:BB across 22.2 frames, while also recording three holds and opening three games.
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Nationals' Jake Irvin: Departs with trainer
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Irvin was removed from Saturday's game against Atlanta with an apparent injury, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
Irvin took the mound to warm up for the sixth inning but was visited by one of the Nationals' trainers and subsequently removed from the game before the inning started. It's unclear what led to his removal, but the Nationals may provide more details in the near future. Irvin finished the day having allowed just one man to reach base via a walk while striking out seven batters over five shutout innings.
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Nationals' Jacob Young: Not starting Saturday
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Young isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Atlanta.
Young will retreat to the dugout Saturday after going 3-for-10 with a two-run homer across his last three starts. Daylen Lile, Dylan Crews and James Wood will form the Nationals' outfield trio while Young sits.
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Nationals' Dylan Crews: Swipes first bag
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Crews went 1-for-5 with a stolen base in Friday's loss to Atlanta.
The steal was the first in four games for Crews since he was called up to make his season debut with the Nationals. The 24-year-old hasn't made much of an impact otherwise, however, batting .188 (3-for-16) with zero extra-base hits, zero RBI and one run. Washington will give the second overall pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft plenty of chances to establish himself as an MLB regular, and Crews did bring some momentum with him to the majors after slashing .291/.339/.527 over 59 May plate appearances for Triple-A Rochester.
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Nationals' CJ Abrams: Stays hot in loss to Atlanta
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Abrams went 2-for-5 with a triple, a solo homer and three RBI in Friday's 5-4 extra-innings loss to Atlanta.
Abrams started the game 0-for-3 before hitting a game-tying solo blast in the top of the eighth ahead of a two-run triple in the 10th to give Washington a 4-2 lead. It was his first triple of the season. Abrams has two homers in his last three games and nine multi-hit contests this month. On the year, Abrams is slashing .299/.391/.556 with 11 homers, 45 RBI, 33 runs scored, seven stolen bases and a 23:42 BB:K across 220 plate appearances.
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Nationals' Curtis Mead: Homers in loss Friday
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Mead went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's 5-4 extra-innings loss to Atlanta.
Mead singled in the first and popped a solo homer in the sixth, depositing a 90-mph sinker from Bryce Elder into the bleachers. With Brady House sent to Triple-A earlier in the week, Mead has started three straight games at third base, going 3-for-13 with the solo blast. Mead is slashing .234/.354/.449 with five homers, 17 RBI, 20 runs scored, three stolen bases and an 18:20 BB:K across 127 plate appearances this season. Mead doesn't chase pitches or strike out often and walks at a high rate.
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Nationals' Miles Mikolas: Shuts out Atlanta over five innings
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Mikolas didn't factor into the decision Friday against Atlanta, allowing just three hits and no walks with three strikeouts across five shutout innings.
It was the fifth time Mikolas has followed an opener this season and just the right-hander's second scoreless appearance, both of which have come following openers. Mikolas' Stuff+ (90) is well below average and he has a fifth percentile whiff rate (17.3 percent), but he continues to locate his pitches well with a high rate of groundballs. After a brutal start to the season, Mikolas has a 3.48 ERA across 31 innings over his last seven appearances, lowering his season ERA to 6.17 in the process. Mikolas has a 31:14 K:BB over 46.2 innings in 2026.
Ruiz is not in the lineup for Friday's game in Atlanta.
Ruiz had started each of the last two contests for the Nationals but will get a break during Friday's series opener. Drew Millas will start at catcher and bat eighth for the Nats.
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Nationals' Clayton Beeter: Scoreless outing in return
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Beeter walked one and struck out two in a scoreless eighth inning Thursday during a 2-1 loss to the Mets.
The right-hander was activated off the IL earlier in the day and was immediately thrust into a high-leverage spot, taking over from Cade Cavalli in a one-run game. Beeter has been sidelined since April 21 due to forearm soreness, but in his absence no one staked a strong claim to the Nationals' closer job -- Gus Varland leads the team with four saves to Beeter's two. Control remains the biggest obstacle between Beeter and the gig, and through 11.1 innings this season he has a 3.18 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 11:9 K:BB.
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Nationals' Keibert Ruiz: Stays hot in Thursday's loss
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Ruiz went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Thursday's loss to the Mets.
The 27-year-old backstop accounted for the Nationals' only run in a 2-1 loss, leading off the bottom of the fifth inning with a single before eventually being brought home by an Andres Chaparro groundout. Ruiz has hit safely in six straight games, and over 42 plate appearances in May he's slashing a sizzling .375/.381/.775 with seven doubles, three homers, eight runs and 13 RBI over 11 contests.
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Nationals' Miles Mikolas: Will follow opener Friday
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Mikolas will be used as the Nationals' primary pitcher for Friday's game in Atlanta, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
Mikolas has fared better this season when used in bulk relief, posting a 4.86 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in that role versus an 8.28 ERA and 1.64 WHIP as a traditional starter. The veteran righty will be preceded by lefty opener Richard Lovelady.
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Nationals' Richard Lovelady: Serving as opener Friday
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Lovelady will serve as the Nationals' opener in Friday's game versus Atlanta, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
Lovelady has been used in a variety of roles by the Nats this season -- this will be his third opener assignment, but he has also collected three saves. The lefty will likely pitch just one inning before handing things off to Miles Mikolas, who is set to handle the bulk of the workload Friday.
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Keeps piling up punchouts
Rotowire
Cavalli (2-3) took the loss Thursday against the Mets, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk in seven innings. He struck out nine.
The Mets did all their damage in the third inning, scratching across a pair of runs in the frame, but Cavalli otherwise cruised Thursday. The 27-year-old right-hander surrendered no extra-base hits and fanned at least eight batters for the fourth time in his past six starts. The 2020 first-round pick is coming into his own a bit in 2026, posting a 3.86 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 61:19 K:BB across 53.2 frames. Cavalli will be hoping to keep up his recent hot streak in the strikeout department his next time out versus Cleveland.
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